Angel City dealt with Alyssa Thompson Transfer to Chelsea in a strange way

It was a moment that should have been celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic. What could prove to be the most expensive transition in women’s football history – is already the largest transition issued in the history of NWSL – Alyssa Thompson sent from Angel City and NWSL to Chelsea from the Premier League in England.

It was a huge deal, it could come to determine the Tomson profession and help repair the Angel City brand as a club mostly rich in its way during its first four chapters.

It was a tremendous victory for the player and the clubs.

However, before the ink on the agreement had dried up Angel City, it was already distorting what it should have shouted. Coach Alexander Strauss refused to say the name of Thompson, and to open a group call with journalists on Thursday insisting that he will not answer questions about a “specific player” or “a specific transfer.”

This was the second time in four days that Strauss refused to recognize the best player for his team.

Tomson, of course, was not a “specific player” or “a specific transfer”. She is the Angel City player who moved the sky and the earth to the formulation and signature NWSL. She is a player who has ever became the goal of the club and is ranked sixth in appearances.

The least that the coach can do is to say her name.

Then three hours after the phone call, and about an hour after the transfer of Thompson became official, the club cleared matters further by reaching anyone who will listen to doing everything in his power to keep Thompson, who had announced her desire to stay with Angel City when she signed a long -term contract just nine months ago.

Thompson has the right to change her opinion when a better chance comes, of course, Chelsea presented it exactly. Only 20, Thompson proved that she is one of the most dynamic players in the world, but she did not come close to realizing her full potential and is unlikely to have stayed in NWSL.

The transfer was necessary for Tompson to find out its quality. And as important, the fact that Thompson, who lived with her parents for the first year of her career, will be alone for the first time. How to adapt undoubtedly a major impact on her career as well.

But the club’s recognition of everything in his power to preserve it – a message targeting angry fans from seeing the best player in the team – he simply confirmed what many thought in the Thompson camp since Chelsea approached for the first time from Angel City to offer a transfer last month: the club was interested in preparing the deal more than facilitating it.

“She wants to go to Chelsea and make her very clear,” said one of Thompson close to this operation. “ACFC must respect it.”

In order for the club to suggest that he tried to carry the transfer, the wrong message that must be sent – which – besides the lack of respect for Strauss – will not be forgotten soon by the ambitious young players Angel City may approach the future.

Thompson was one of eight players on the 20 -year -old Angel City menu. Many of these young women must be, if not all these young women, are confident that the club will not stand on their way if they have an opportunity to move forward and develop their talents at a greater stage.

This is how football works. This is why clubs allow players to leave in the middle of the season to play with their national teams despite the risk of injury. It is unfortunate that the transportation has now happened, which impeded the final batch of Angel City to get a watershed. But as long as NWSL plays a different calendar from the rest of the world, the transport windows will always be embarrassing.

Yes, Angel City – and I have done so – should fight strongly for every other penny in transport talks. The team employed Thompson, signed it, paid its good money and gave it a chance and a platform to play professionally and in the World Cup.

By all the standards, the team was adept at its negotiations with Chelsea, and was rewarded with record transportation fees. They deserve enormous back on the back.

Only that records the deal depends on how to look at it. Multiple sources involved in the talks confirmed the value of transportation at $ 1.65 million, making it the most expensive transfer in the history of women’s football.

However, this is not what deposited the city of Angel City in the bank last week. Whether Chelsea will pay the full amount it will be determined by the unpopular moving stairs, which are mainly based on Thompson’s performance, which were included in the deal. However, at the present time, Angel City will have to obtain about half a million less, putting the initial value of transportation somewhere between about $ 1.1 million, Chelsea paid the San Diego wave last January to defender Naomi Jerma and $ 1.5 million that paid Orlando Pride in Mexico Lazbith Ovalley last month.

Either way, it is the largest fee for the outgoing player in the history of NWSL, and it may suffice for the City Gospel to keep the spotlight. So on Friday morning, the club sent a lukewarm statement of three paragraphs announcing its transfer that everyone knows that it was done.

“We thank Alyssa for her contributions to the city of Angel, and we are grateful for the mark she left in our team and the city of Los Angeles,” I have read.

At least they said its name.

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